Ukraine's military has claimed video footage of Russia bombing an airfield actually shows Putin's troops hitting a fake warplane planted to trick them.
In a move used by the British in World War Two to trick the Nazis, the Ukrainians used decoy plans to trick their enemy. Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said mock-ups were put in place at the airfield near the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih and a district of the Black Sea port of Odesa.
Russia's defence ministry had shared footage on Thursday on its Telegram channel and said it had used Iskender missiles to destroy a Ukrainian Mig-29 fighter jet at the Dovhyntseve airfield. But their efforts were mocked by Ukraine military leaders who announced that the Russians had wasted their time.
Mr Oleshchuk said: "Air force personnel conducted passive defence measures. Thank you to everyone who helped with the top-quality mock-ups of aircraft and SAM systems. The enemy now has fewer Iskander missiles and more mock-ups will be delivered. Of course, both we and the enemy have losses of equipment and people. But neither side is talking about it publicly. It is clear why."
Ukraine rarely shares such information but the air force commander said he had made it public "as an exception, to show the public that not everything is straightforward". Back in June, the city of Kryvyi Rih - President Zelensky's home town - saw nine killed and 32 injured following an airstrike.
Kryvyi Rih, which had a population of about 635,000 before the full-scale invasion, has been repeatedly targeted by Russian forces since its start, in February 2022. The daytime attack saw at least two children injured